The Long Lens Issue 14

ISSUE 14 - SUMMER 2026 A N I M AT I O N PA R T 2

F E AT U R I N G A R T I C L E S A B O U T AARDMAN ANIMATION SHORT FILM SUMMER PLAYLIST OPEN EVENINGS GUEST PICKS AND MORE...

EDITORIAL Welcome to issue 14 of The Long Lens, this is our first ‘sequel’ issue as this is the first time we have had a follow up to a theme used in a previous issue.

Spring 2024 was our first issue on animation and featured a deep dive into the history of animation. We are really pleased to have so much fabulous content for this second issue on the topic of animation with a real diversity of approach. Connor’s article on adult animation is a particularly interesting read as we often assume animation is the realm of kids with the prevalence of Disney. So I am really pleased that we have managed to put together an issue that doesn’t feature mainstream Disney films, there is so much content here to really broaden your mind when it comes to animation.

We are also thrilled to welcome back former Long Lens editor, Victoria Vireikyte, who has kindly made three contributions to this issue.

Victoria is an online reviewer for The Voice magazine and was delighted to be part of this issue on animation. Welcoming back former students is always a happy experience and we would like to take this opportunity to say farewell to the current Year 2 students. We wish you well in the next phase of your journey.

As we approach the summer there are lots of great films coming up and lots of great film events to enjoy. Do check out the Cambridge Film Festival website and subscribe to their newsletter for information on volunteering opportunities: https://www.cambridgefilmfestival.org.uk/subscribe Outdoor screenings are one of the best summer features, the sad passing of actor Sam Neill brought to my attention something he said in an interview with the BBC after covid restrictions were lifted and he was able to attend a film premiere again - ‘There is absolutely nothing like going to the cinema’, that it is a communal event , and that watching a film in the cinema is like the difference between listening to recorded music and watching a band play live; there really is no substitute for the live experience.

As the current heatwave continues, the air con in most cinemas really does make it the perfect summer location. Have a great summer and see you all in September!

Andrea, Sam & Shannon, The Long Lens Team

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Featured Articles

Reviews

My Top 3 Short Films to Soundtrack your Upcoming Summer Season

by Victoria Vireikyte

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Rango (2011)

by Georgie Mann

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Little Amelie or The Character Of Rain (2025)

by Victoria Vireikyte

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Stop-Motion Heroes

by Aimee Fleet

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Atlantis and Treasure Planet: Disney’s 2000s Experimental Era

by Sam Gamble

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Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)

by Emma Bye

The Thief and The Cobbler: Yet Another Story of How Hollywood Ruins Everything

by Riley Martin

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Adult Animation: A Brief Tour

by Connor Astran Open Evening Picks: Your Favourite Animations

by Andrea Joyce

Emma (2020)

by Charlotte Baker

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Alternative Media 15

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Wes Anderson: Film to Animation

by Sam Young

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Krtek: An Adorably Cute Mole That Became Czechia’s National Icon

by Victoria Vireikyte

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Catherine O’Hara: A Tribute

by Shannon Johnston Howes

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Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends Exhibition

by Sam Young

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FEATURED ARTICLES My Top 3 Short Films to Soundtrack Your Summer Season

by Victoria Vireikyte Stop-Motion Heroes

by Aimee Fleet Atlantis and Treasure Planet: Disney’s 2000s Experimental Era

by Sam Gamble The Thief and The Cobbler: Yet Another Story of How Hollywood Ruins Everything

by Riley Martin Adult Animation: A Brief Tour

by Connor Astran Open Evening Picks: Your Favourite Animations

by Andrea Joyce

SHORT FILM SUMMER SOUNDTRACK

MY TOP 3 SHORT FILMS TO SOUNDTRACK

BY VICTORIA VIREIKYTE YOUR SUMMER SEASON Victoria Vireikyte finished studying at Long Road in 2025 when she was also Student Editor of The Long Lens. Since then, Victoria has become a regular online film reviewer for 'Voice Magazine' attending press screenings for films or theatre shows weekly. She has also been travelling extensively to places as fascinating as Egypt, Georgia, Prague & New York.

Victoria also did another stint volunteering at the Cambridge Film Festival. She is also working on an application to study Film and Screen Studies at The University of the Arts in London. We are really excited to feature three article written by Victoria in this issue and we know our readers will enjoy her superbly written content. Thank you Victoria.

Filmed in black-and-white and soundtracked by a giddy piano tune, the 25-minute long film depicts the story of a man, played by Arbuckle himself, tagging along with his wife to enjoy a day out at the beach.

He sneakily however escapes their planned day-out to go enjoy himself at the nearby amusement park, and finds himself in a comedic love-triangle with a Pretty Girl (played by the wonderful Alice Mann) and her original date (played by the infamous Buster Keaton).

With the sun rays beaming through our windows and the weather rising to record-breaking heights causing all of us to melt like ice lollies, I think it’s fair to say that the summer season has officially begun.

Many of us have started rewatching some of our personal favourite cult-classic series and films to mark the start of the summer - “Stranger Things”’ season 3, “Stand by Me”, “Call Me By Your Name”, “Aftersun”, “Almost Famous” - the list is endless. And as a personal fanatic of short films in particular, I’d like to recommend a few great ones from my list that I think would dive you right into the hazy, golden, brilliantly warm summer mood.

If you’re a fan of the timeless silent era of cinema, then I can’t recommend enough one of Roscoe Arbuckle’s comedy-films, ‘Coney Island’ (1917).

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The two men, along with another infatuated individual played by Al St. John, fight and wrestle to compete for the Pretty Girl’s attention through silly, childish stunts and moments of classic slapstick comedy, along with adventures around the park and going on rides.

“Coney Island” concludes with Arbuckle and St. John’s

SHORT FILM SUMMER SOUNDTRACK characters agreeing that brotherhood triumphs over “foolish romantic misadventures” and go their separate ways, and Keaton’s character achieving the delightfully romantic end with his date afterall. This film also features something quite surprising to silent film fans; Buster Keaton is seen smiling and laughing in many scenes.

‘Last Summer’ (2022) has got to be one of the most visually beautiful animated short films I’ve ever seen. It centres around an indie-band and their bandmates Sun, Buck, Polo, and their lead singer Ren, as the group plans to move out for university. As each member slowly leaves their town to venture into the unknown terrain of adult life, Ren is left feeling stuck and lost. What will he do without his childhood friends by his side?

This is because ‘Coney Island’ was shot before Keaton became the iconic, ‘Great Stoneface’ of the silent era, and was thus a lesser known actor, meaning his solidfaced persona wasn’t fully created yet and he was free to giggle and grin on camera.

In the backdrop of all of this, Ren is struggling to write the lyrics for their last song as a band - which actually plays at the end of the short film. Catchy, nostalgic, and drenched with longing and passion, I’m honestly surprised the song isn’t out officially on streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Music - it would explore on there! I’d also really love for this kind of animation style to be made into a full feature-length film too. If you’re looking for a quick, fun, stunning short film that will infect sunshine right into your heart, look no further than ‘Last Summer’.

Raise your hand if lunchtime was your favourite lesson at school. I know it wasn’t just me. Lunchtime was not only a slice of pure heaven to act as a break from class and boring maths lessons, but also to socialise with your friends and share what you would be feasting upon during your glorious 30 minutes of carefree time.

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Although being severely outdated for us as a contemporary audience, I still think it’s incredibly fun to sit back and watch a slice of 1910’s summer and marvel at their customs back in their days. I really love the Keaton-Arbuckle duo - I also highly recommend their other collaboration films like “His Wedding Night,” “The Butcher Boy,” and especially “The Cook.” And I do have to be honest - the foolish slapstick moments do get a laugh out of me, it’s a classic, what can I say.

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SHORT FILM SUMMER SOUNDTRACK ‘Lunch Hour’ (2023) directed by Mina Chacko, explores the culturally rich and diverse side of lunchtime in schools. We follow Peko, a young little boy who lives in the incredible, sun-drenched country of India. Every lunchtime during his school, he grumpily stares down at his metal lunchbox, where his mum has packed his usual: the cucumber-and-tomato-sandwich of doom and despair. Whilst his other classmates delightfully snack on their Indian classic foods like naan dipped in raita or spicy curries, Peko can’t help but feel his meal is … disappointingly bland. But when his friends Sunil and Arun come over and Peko finds out that they in fact think his lunch looks delicious, he’s astonished, and they all agree to share each of their meals as one big feast.

And there you have it! Some great short films to explore as we welcome the summer season into our 2026 year. All 3 of these films are available to watch for free on YouTube.

Coney Island (1917) - Silver Screen Filmoteque (YouTube)

This is one of my favourite short films ever - top 3 for sure. I love the representation of Peko being a biracial kid, half Indian and half Jewish, finding his feet in the world of food through his heritage and culture. The warm, tropical colour scheme is just perfect for setting the location for India - the music, created by Aashray Harishankar, uses typical Indian instruments to create an environment filled with curiosity and richness of culture. The message in all is really sweet in “Lunch Hour” - how we should embrace our differences and celebrate our culinary backgrounds, even if you yourself think your own native food is ordinary.

LAST SUMMER - Animation Short Film 2022 - GOBELINS (YouTube)

Lunch Hour (Calarts 2023) - Mina C (Youtube)

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STOP-MOTION HEROES

STOP-MOTION HEROES

BY AIMEE FLEET Aardman is the biggest stop-motion animation studio worldwide, known for the classics of Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, and Chicken Run, but they weren’t always so well known.

In 1972 Aardman was founded by two college friends, Peter Lord and David Sproxton, making low budget animations for the BBC, such as the iconic character of Morph. However, stop-motion wasn’t exactly where they began, as the name Aardman came from their animated superhero Aard-man who was not stopmotion, but a traditionally 2D animated character. The addition of Nick Park to the company changed Aardman forever.

This improved the quality of the film massively as it was no longer just him working alone on it. Wallace & Gromit ended up being released 6 years after he started the project and it was nominated for an Oscar for best Animated Film in 1990. However, he unfortunately lost… To himself.

Creature Comforts was also nominated this year and won, so really the only person that can beat Nick Park at the Oscars is Nick Park. Over the years, more Wallace & Gromit films were being made, each with a higher budget and more extravagant ideas.

Due to the success of ‘Chicken Run’, they continued to collaborate with DreamWorks and created their first

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When Sproxton and Lord met Nick Park he was a college student working on his student film ‘Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out’. They were impressed with his work and wanted Park to work with them at Aardman on their current project of ‘Creature Comforts’. As big of an opportunity as this was for him, he initially didn’t agree to join as he wanted to focus on his student film. They worked around this by allowing him to work on Wallace & Gromit with Aardman and they gave him a team and resources.

In 2000 Aardman came out with their first feature length film, Chicken Run. This was made in collaboration with DreamWorks productions instead of the BBC. This gave them a higher budget and more publicity worldwide as they had only really been known for their extremely British films of Wallace & Gromit which didn’t really hit it off in America. It became a critical and commercial success in America and is still one of the highest grossing stop-motion animations of all time.

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STOP-MOTION HEROES feature length Wallace & Gromit film ‘Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit’. As they wanted to reach a wider audience, they tried to Americanise the film so a US audience could understand and enjoy it, ultimately to make more money. Aardman didn’t like this as they liked to highlight the British mundane and represent the boring but comforting culture. This film was a box office hit and was very successful in America, but in Britain it was not so positively received, as people felt it lacked the usual and loved essence of Wallace & Gromit.

Over the years Aardman has released more feature length films and shorts. My personal favourites being the Shaun the Sheep feature lengths; ‘Shaun the Sheep: The Movie’ and ‘Farmageddon’, with another one set to release next year. Just last Christmas, ‘Wallace & Gromit; A Vengeance Most Fowl’ was released, their first W&G film since 2008. It was nominated at the Oscars this year and lost to ‘Flow’, but as biased as I am towards W&G, Flow very much deserved that win and was an incredible film (sorry Aardman).

In 2005, October 10th, the day after ‘Curse of the Were-Rabbit’ reached the top of the North American box office, the Aardman Animations warehouse caught fire. The archived sets, figurines, and props all burnt down. Although this didn’t affect future productions it was a major blow to the company, as all the original props from ‘A Grand Day Out’ and so on were destroyed.

They ultimately cut ties with DreamWorks in 2007 after the release of ‘Flushed Away’. This was their first nonstop-motion film, made instead using CGI animation.

Steering far away from the usual Aardman style, it was a major disappointment at the box office and didn’t do well financially. This was when they decided to end their partnership with DreamWorks and continue with their classic traditional stop-motion productions. There were a collection of reasons this partnership didn’t work, but a major theory is that Aardman didn’t like the Americanisation that DreamWorks wanted for their films, and they decided they didn’t care whether it did well in America because they didn’t want to change what made Wallace & Gromit what it is.

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Stop-motion and animation in general are my favourite forms of media. It’s these hands-on artforms that always show the love and effort put into the work.

Claymation has a special place in my heart, seeing all the fingerprints and imperfections in the figures shows the care put into them. From Aardman to Laika, stopmotion is incredible and careful with so much effort put in and will always be the better form of animation (in my very humble and personal opinion).

DISNEY’S EXPERIMENTAL ERA

ATLANTIS & TREASURE PLANET: DISNEY'S 2000'S EXPERIMENTAL ERA

BY SAM GAMBLE The 2000’s will always be an odd period of history. In a time not long after the world was supposed to come to an end at the hands of the Y2K virus, and bands such as Nickelback were finding their ways into the hearts of grungy teenagers, Disney also found themselves slightly listless.

Coming off the back of their ‘renaissance’ era, with smashing successes such as ‘Mulan’, ‘Hercules’ and ‘The Lion King’, the house of mouse found themselves at a crossroads. Do we do the same thing and keep people happy? Or, do we try and push the proverbial boat (or submarine, or spaceship) out? In truth, the answer was a little bit of both, but today I want to look at Disney’s forgotten middle-child films.

definitely has that vibe to it. There’s adventure, supernatural goings on in ancient and forgotten cities, and more than one explosive chase sequence.

‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire’ tells the story of Milo Thatch (voiced by Michael J. Fox) as he uncovers an ancient text that potentially leads to, you guessed it, the lost city of Atlantis. From there, he assembles a rag-tag group of mercenaries to uncover this lost city.

‘Treasure Planet’ is an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel ‘Treasure Island’, transplanting the swashbuckling pirate adventure for buried treasure to outer space.

These two films, ‘Treasure Planet’ and ‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire’ hold special places in my nostalgic little heart. I distinctly remember the clam-shell VHS cases they were stored in under the TV in the front room, the action figures and McDonalds toys that I cherished, and the old video game tie ins that I sank countless hours into. It appears, coincidentally, that I’m not the only one. As I sit at my desk writing this (I promise, I’m doing my references, Hilary), I went online and it seems that these films are undergoing somewhat of a cultural re-evaluation. It makes sense, the generation that I belong to are starting to hit that wave of nostalgia, and I can’t have been the only one enraptured by these stand out films.

These two films were released a year apart from each other, ‘Atlantis’ debuting first. I’ve seen people describe it as ‘baby’s first Indiana Jones’ and it

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DISNEY’S EXPERIMENTAL ERA Both films share a lot between each other. For a start, both are departures from the expected disney affair in that they are not musicals. Each film has a song by a popular artist associated with it, but there are no dance numbers, or musical sequences. Both are grounded adventure films, with clear macguffins for our characters to retrieve as part of their quests. Both feature a collection of what could be considered criminals, either mercenaries or pirates, with betrayals, backstabbing, and much more complex characterisation. Narratively, you could argue that these films are structurally the same. You have your young man longing for adventure, receives the call to it, hunts his treasure, is betrayed by someone they once trusted, and then finds what they were looking for in an unconventional package.

A further move away from the Disney norm is the focus on a young, male target audience through their central character. Milo and Jim, the two central characters, have different feels to them, but are equally identifiable to young men. Milo (voiced by Michael J. Fox) is an intellectual. He’s clumsy, talks really quickly, and is uber-fascinated by his search for the lost city, giving the young nerdy boys something to latch onto. Jim, on the other hand, is a different beast.

Although both of them are probably similar ages, if anything Milo is probably younger, Jim (an early role for Joseph Gordon Levitt) carries the typical teenage angst. He feels the absence of a paternal figure in his life after his father left him as a young boy, and carries around the rebellious anger that often derives from that absence in these kind of stories. The first thing we see him do as a character is ride a solarpowered surfboard into restricted territory, undertaking increasingly dangerous antics in order to get that rush.

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Milo, to counter that, is introduced to us fumbling his way through a pre-prepared speech he’s given to a collection of mops he’s dressed up as board members that he wants funding from. Both of these central characters give young men from different walks of life something to latch up, whether its the geeky hyperfixators or the rebel thrill seekers. Disney had begun to dabble in their male leads through projects like The Lion King and Hercules, but this commitment to a very typically ‘male’ story with a darker aesthetic makes these two stand apart.

Another similarity is in the aesthetics of the films. Both have opted for a very Steampunk feeling look.

Treasure Planet, steering harder into the science fiction element, adopts this aesthetic stronger, with heavy metal and wood tones in the design of every piece of set dressing, and the ships that we see throughout the film. According to the designers, they adopted a 70/30 rule when it came to the aesthetic design of the film. They wanted to keep 70% realistic to the time that the original book is set, and 30% brand new with sci-fi inspiration, and this clearly shows. The RLS Legacy (where we spend the bulk of the film), still looks like a naval ship.

DISNEY’S EXPERIMENTAL ERA The RLS Legacy (where we spend the bulk of the film), still looks like a naval ship. From a distance, you wouldn’t necessarily know that this ship was capable of space flight, and there are some creative liberties taken with the idea of breathing in space; in fact it’s ignored altogether. Atlantis skips forward in time a little bit, opting for more Iron Age feel to their design, with strong pops of orange. The other distinction is in the design of Atlantis itself. With strong shadows and deep rich blues for the underwater segments. The darkness can be attributed to one of the designers being Mike Mignola, of the Hellboy comics. Indeed, there are some sections from later in the film that lean quite close to horror, but I shan’t divulge those here for spoilers sake.

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The design was also influenced by early experimentation with 3D Computer Generated Imagery in the animation. It helps gives some different elements a more ‘other-worldly’ feel. In Atlantis, large constructs such as the Leviathan that attacks the crew or the submarine itself are 3D Modelled, giving them a sense of wondrous scale when constructed with the 2D hand drawn character models. Planets and spaceports are given a similar treatment in Planet, but interestingly they use a blended approach for Long John Silver, one of the key characters. He has a prosthetic arm with different attachments and functions that he uses throughout the narrative. Most of his design is hand-animated, but the arm itself, with visible gears and rotating cogs, is animated in 3D. Whilst this may have been to get the details of the spinning cogs accurate and quickly, it also has the added effect of making something feel slightly ‘off’ about him from the start.

So why have these films stuck in my head, other than the obvious childhood nostalgia? I think it stems from their slightly experimental feel. These are, without a doubt, Disney films, you can tell just from looking at them. But they’re also wildly different from anything before or after. The jokes are there, but don’t come as thick and as fast. They’re distinctly family oriented, but still carry a darker and intriguing story of a quest for a lost object or place. They’re experimental with design and character, and whilst this doesn’t work a hundred percent of the time, they feel fresh even to this day. I wouldn’t say they’re in ‘best film of all time’ land, but they are incredibly enjoyable and well worth your time to see a time capsule of the early 2000’s and Disney’s ability to experiment, that feels somewhat lost recently.

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THE THEIF AND THE COBBLER

THE THIEF AND THE COBBLER: YET ANOTHER STORY OF HOW HOLLYWOOD RUINS EVERYTHING

BY RILEY MARTIN

The year is 1995 – all the cool kids are watching Clueless and OJ just got acquitted. ‘Arabian Knight’, a desert-set fantasy involving a thief, a princess, and an evil vizier is released in cinemas by the prestigious Miramax LLC. Wait, what? Isn’t that just Aladdin? Aladdin, which had been released only three years earlier? Well, it’s a long story, a pretty interesting one, and one that I will be telling now.

Richard Williams, a skilled and ambitious animator began working on an adaptation of the tales of the adventures of Mulla Nasrudin, a comic folk hero originating from Islamic culture. You probably haven’t heard of Richard Williams, but if you’ve watched ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’, you would have definitely seen him, or seen his work anyway – he was the animation director. The project began in the early 60s and by 1973, due mainly to quite boring financing disputes, the project had begun to morph away from the Nasrudin folklore and had instead evolved to feature two distinct and original characters from Williams’s imagination: a cobbler named Tack; and a Thief, named The Thief. These characters would soon be joined by Princess Yum-Yum, her father King Zod, and the scheming royal advisor Zigzag. Tack and The Thief would both be mute characters, while Zigzag spoke entirely in rhyme, which was intended by Williams to disrupt what he called “the Disney route”, which highlighted how he believed that Disney’s output had now become trite and formulaic.

Disaster No.1 happens around 1973. Facing financial difficulties, work on the film was not abandoned, but was instead moved to the background, being worked

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on on the side. The bright side of this move was Williams’s simple self-realisation- he needed to get better at animation. Veteran animators were bought on board to help out, and Williams’s ambition increased, as he now stated that he wanted to “make the best animated film that has ever been made.”

Shrek 2 begs to differ, but what’s key is the level of passion and high-quality that was gradually being pumped into what had now been titled ‘The Thief & The Cobbler.’

THE THEIF AND THE COBBLER As the films production moved into the 1980s, and after failures to bring on key financial backers (including a Saudi prince), Williams was yet again sidetracked (Disaster No.2) by an obscure filmmaker called Steven Spielberg.

Mr Spielberg probably didn’t go on to do anything particularly memorable in his career but he did persuade Williams to join ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’ as animation director. History unfolded and it turned out to be a hit, massively boosting Williams’s profile within both the animation and general cinematic industries, even though he was already well-respected in the former. By 1989, having been under development for around 20 years, production finally sped up on ‘The Thief & The Cobbler.’ Williams made clear that there would be no more distractions this time – he said no to ‘Beauty & The Beast’ and said no to a Roger Rabbit 2, but he said a resounding yes to continuing work on his brainchild.

The debate whether Aladdin stole from the muchgestating TT&TC is still ongoing. Despite efforts to convince industry bigwigs to stay on-side, Warner Bros left the project, and the film was handed over to Fred Calvert, who in his infinite wisdom decided to ignore the film’s clear artistic merit and terraformed it into a fairytale musical. 20 minutes of the original animation was cut and a voice cast was bought in, despite the clear intention for both The Thief and The Cobbler to be silent characters.

Under the title ‘The Princess and The Cobbler’, the greatly diminished film was released in South Africa and Australia to little fuss. The next year, in 1994, a certain Harvey Weinstein made the fantastic decision to ruin the film even more and ready it for American distribution. Any slightly edgy themes or jokes were sliced off, and a further eight minutes were lost. In 1995, under the name of ‘Arabian Knight’ (ew), the heavily altered film was released for American audiences. Nobody really cared.

So what’s the point of this article? Even though this initially seems like a typical tale of fantastic creativity being sidelined and ignored, there is somewhat of a happy ending. The version that Williams had intended was so, so close to being finished, to the point where cult fans of Williams’s vision managed to cobble together a ‘Recobbled Cut’, which sequenced all the scenes that had been found of the film, along with the intended music and dialogue.

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Warner Bros, now in control of the film, gave Williams a 1991 deadline for the film to be completely and utterly finished, which is where Disaster No.3 comes in. By the time the deadline came around, due to its intricate and complicated nature of the animation, the film was still six months away from being finished, and not only that, but it had blindsided by the release of Aladdin, which contained very similar characters and settings (though there was no Genie present in Williams’s film.)

Despite some missing scenes and some sequences being merely pencil drawings, the film miraculously makes a lot of sense, and, after having watched it last year, it’s really great. The animation is fantastic and in my opinion puts to bed any speculation that Richard Williams was some sort of hack. The Thief is a great side character who propels most of the film’s plot through pure ineptitude, and the ending battle sequence is stunning. So, even though a full finished cut of ‘The Thief and The Cobbler’ is unlikely to see the light of day, YouTube has provided us with something very close. So if these ramblings convinced you in any way to watch the Recobbled Cut, go for it – just don’t accidentally stumble onto ‘Arabian Knight’.

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ADULT ANIMATION

ADULT ANIMATION: A BRIEF TOUR

BY CONNOR ASTRAN Have you ever seen the trailer for a film and thought, ‘I absolutely must watch that’?

That’s how I felt when I found out about the 2021 film Mad God, and it did not disappoint. It’s so beautifully monstrous and you can tell just how carefully crafted everything single piece of this movie is. We follow the “Assassin” as they explore a hellish, dystopian world filled with horrendous creatures and elaborate death-machines, bleak and hopeless. It’s a theatre of the perverse that takes the quirky and often bright world of stop motion and smashes it with a bat.

It got me thinking about why adult animation films aren’t more popular. Why is there an assumption that animation is a medium for children? When I tried to look into it, the answers varied with some making a lot more sense than others. I guess an important distinction is that there is a difference between films aimed at children and family friendly films.

But when it comes to films specifically aimed at adults, they seem to be few and far between.

There are definitely some gems out there though, so here’s some I love or am interested in watching.

Worthy of note, these films contain strong themes and images. If you are unsure about watching them, I would highly recommend using websites like Does The Dog Die and Unconsenting Media.

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Mad God (2023) - Horror/Sci-Fi Animated and directed over a 30-year period, this stop motion film was created by Phil Tippet, the legend behind the practical and visual effects of films like Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Starship Troppers, RoboCop, and Twilight, just to name a few. There is literally no spoken dialogue in this film, so we explore the dystopian landscape with the aforementioned assassin in a very organic way. The dark world we see could be said to represent the “late-stage capitalism” that economists and sociologists have written about.

A Scanner Darkly (2006) I absolutely adore Philip K Dick books, and this is one of the best film adaptations of his work. A Scanner Darkly is a deep dive into the world of addiction, chronicling the day-to-day life of Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves). Bob is an undercover cop attempting to infiltrate the supply chain of the fictional drug Substance D. It has a lot to say

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about addiction, how it starts, the mind-altering reality addicts find themselves in, and the role the government has to play in the merry-go-round of the war on drugs.

controversy upon release, with the Iranian government going to lengths to prevent the film being screened. It is both deeply personal and highly political.

Barefoot Gen (1983)

Watership Down (1978)

Possibly one of the most brutal depictions of the bombing of Hiroshima, Barefoot Gen is based on a manga series of the same name. It is semiautobiographical, with Keiji Nakazawa leaving out certain aspects for various reasons. We see the immediate effects of the A-bomb being dropped, and then proceed to follow Gen for a couple weeks as he tries to find food and look after his pregnant mother.

I have yet to put myself through the traumatic experience of watching this film, but apparently I’m some sort of sadist and I plan to watch it at some point. There is a whole generation of people who will remember this, especially those born in the 60’s and 70’s. A visceral story about the brutality of nature, Watership Down contrasts it’s heartbreaking narrative about a society of rabbits with a rather soft and pleasant-looking animation style, making it all the more harrowing.

Reminds me of The Animals of Farthing Wood.

Persepolis (2007) Chico & Rita (2010) Set against a backdrop of dream locations including Havana, New York City, Los Angeles, and Paris, Chico and Rita is a jazz-laden

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Based on the autobiographical graphic novels of the same name, Persepolis is a film that depicts Marjane Satrapi growing up in Iran after the Iranian Revolution and then leaving to live in Austria. Both the film and graphic novel garnered

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ADULT ANIMATION romance. Chico is a pianist and Rita a singer, and in Havana they meet when Chico fills in on piano for one of Rita’s performances. As the events of the movie transpire, their romance becomes more complicated and their pursuit of fame increasingly becomes a barrier. Running parallel to the scenic locations is the beautiful music of Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, and Tito Puente.

American Pop (1981) I had to include a Ralph Bakshi film in here because he was a pioneer in adult animation, but I must admit it was very difficult to pick one. This isn’t due to his films being really good (I think they’re very hit or miss), but mainly because his films are highly offensive and outdated. Fritz the Cat may have paved the way for adult animation, but it absolutely does not stand the test of time.

American Pop is a little different, but still contains the characteristic style of his earlier work. The use of rotoscoping makes his films very unique.

American Pop follows four generations of a Russian Jewish family who immigrate to the United States. Zalmie discovers a love for music and becomes the patriarch of a family of passionate musicians. This story is a gateway through which we explore pop music in the United States over a long period of time, including the film industry and it’s often lewd exploits.

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OPEN EVENING PICKS

OPEN EVENING PICKS: YOUR FAVOURITE

BY ANDREA JOYCE ANIMATIONS

We had a huge number of submissions for this article, but here are just a few of the selections made. They are in no particular order and reflect the broad taste of our visitors, including a significant amount of love for anime and manga inspired content. Thank you to our open evening guests for sharing these selections with us, we hope you enjoy them and we encourage you to watch some in full.

Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995 Anime series and 1997 Animated Film)

“The 1995 TV show and its accompanying 1997 film, are my favourite animated piece of media, they are both incredibly well directed but also show and depict a deep and personal breakdown of the human experience and psyche.” (Anonymous submission) Currently available to stream on Netflix and Amazon, the series was described as a ‘deconstruction of the mecha genre’, mecha referring to giant robots or machines depicted as walking humanoids. Set in 2015, which is 15 years after a catastrophic event, in a futuristic Tokyo 3. It follows Shinji, a teenage boy, who is recruited by his father to the mysterious Nerv organisation and is tasked to pilot an Evangelion, a giant biomechanical mecha, to destroy beings known as Angels. Neon Genesis Evangelion has been interpreted as a deeply personal expression of director Hideaki Anno's own emotional struggles with depression. When the 1997 film version was released it placed second at the Japanese box office, just behind the opening of 101 Dalmatians between March and October 1997.

Princess Monoke (1997 animated film) Hazel J selected this Studio Ghibli film directed by Hayao Miyazaki in 1997 and cited the following as the reasons for this selection: “adventure & thrill; strong leading female role: grim features”. This is one of many Ghibli films cited by visitors as their favourite and Hazel wasn’t alone in selecting it, it was also named by Lacey who commented on the art of the film and the nice story within it. When Miyazaki began working on it it was the most expensive animated film

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Early in July, we open our doors for two consecutive nights to current year 10’s and their families. Over 6400 people visited us during these two events which is a staggering amount of people. This year we had a Long Lens display and invited the people who visited the film classroom to get involved and share with us their favourite animated film or TV show and the reasons as to why they love it so much.

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OPEN EVENING PICKS at the time and it went on to break several box office records as well as being the first Studio Ghibli film to be released internationally. The film explores themes of environmentalism and societal diversity, and arguably presents a feminist portrayal of its characters.

Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986 animated film) This is a film that was released earlier than Princess Monoke and many audiences discovered it after the international success of the former film. Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, it was chosen by Martin H who stated: “It was my first ever Ghibli, I loved the story, the visuals, the imagination and the music”.

The film follows orphans Sheeta and Pazu who are pursued by government agent Muska, the army, and a group of pirates. They seek Sheeta's crystal necklace, the key to accessing Laputa, a legendary flying castle hosting advanced technology. The film is another one that explores the theme of environmentalism, exploring the relationships between humanity, nature, and technology.

There are so many absolute gems in the Studio Ghibli canon of work, other notable mentions were made for Spirited Away (2001), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), From Up on Poppy Hill (2011) and The Boy and the Heron (2023). When talking about Howl’s Moving Castle, Giselle said it was her favourite because of the music and art style which she describes as ‘beautiful’.

Akira (1988 animated film) K Winsor cited this as their favourite animated film “because it was the first adult animation I watched, the story, the characters, fantastic action film that is not American”.

Based on the Manga series of the same name, and directed by original creator Katsuhiro Otomo. This film was released in 1989 in the US and became a landmark in Japanese animation. It is widely considered a hugely influential work in the development of anime, adult animation, and Japanese cyberpunk. The film follows Shōtarō Kaneda, the leader of a biker gang whose childhood friend, Tetsuo Shima, acquires telekinetic abilities eventually threatening an entire military complex in the futuristic metropolis of Neo-Tokyo.

My Hero Academia (animated TV series, 2016 2025).

This was selected by Phoebe who said “it teaches you to follow your dreams even when all the odds are against you”. Based on a manga series it follows Izuku, a boy who dreams of becoming a superhero while training at a high school specialising in it.

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OPEN EVENING PICKS A Silent Voice (2016 Animated Film)

The Wrong Trousers (1993 Animated Short Film)

Based on the manga of the same name, this was selected by Charlie R because of “how meaningful it is, the message and relatability”. It follows the story of a former bully turned social outcast, who befriends the deaf girl he had bullied years previously. It draws on themes of bullying, disability, overcoming guilt, mental health, suicide, and friendship.

Attack on Titan (Animated TV series, 2013 to 2023)

Perfect Blue (1997 Animated Film) This Japanese psychological horror film that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. Chosen by Annabel due to its “perfect animation and being very trippy, fun to rewatch and gain a new understanding of it”.

Perfect Blue is about Mima, who is a member of a Japanese idol group, she retires from music to pursue acting. As she becomes a victim of stalking by her obsessive fan, gruesome murders take place, and she begins losing her grip on reality.

Selected by Louie B who said “it is funny and I like the stop motion style”, this British animated film is part of the Wallace & Gromit series of films and followed on from the success of the 1989 film ‘A Grand Day Out’ and took three years to make. It eventually won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and catapulted Wallace & Gromit into superstardom. The film shows the misuse of Wallace’s gift to Gromit, a pair of ex-NASA robotic trousers, when Feathers McGraw uses them to steal the blue diamond from the museum. The sequel to this story was a huge hit in 2024 when Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl hit screens on Christmas Day. Watership Down (1978 Animated Film) Based on the 1972 novel of the same name, written by Richard Adams, this 1978 film was selected by Sarah F who said it is her favourite animated film because “it depicts strength, courage, teamwork and determination in the face of adversity. It teaches morality and hardship and shows how precious and fragile life is”. This is a film that left a lasting impact on me too, I can still see the image of the evil rabbit with bloodstained teeth which haunted me for years as an impressionable child. There are even memes of the trauma created in a generation by this film, don’t say we didn’t warn you!

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This was the pick of James H who selected it because “it has a really good plotline and twists that I really enjoyed”. To have been running for 10 years says a lot about the quality and popularity of this anime television series, based on the manga series of the same name. Due to the success of the tv series, the manga had over 140 million copies in circulation by 2023. It is another series that focuses on a teenage boy who faces a seemingly overwhelming enemy following personal loss and trauma.

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OPEN EVENING PICKS Belleville Rendevous (2003 Animated Film) A comedy drama written and directed by Sylvain Chomet, this film was chosen by Sarah J who said it was her favourite because “there is very little dialogue so the artwork tells the story which is both moving and funny”. This film is the story of Madame Souza, whose grandson Champion, a Tour-De-France cyclist, has been kidnapped by the French mafia. She travels to the town of Belleville to rescue him accompanied by his dog Bruno and three triplets of Belleville, who are music hall singers she meets along the way.

The film was nominated for two academy awards but lost out to Finding Nemo, give it a watch and decide for yourself which you prefer.

people and dragons. In essence this is a coming of age journey. This is a franchise that also has six short films within it so lots to indulge in if the first film strikes a chord for you.

9 (2009 animated film) Sam selected this one because it is “a postapocalyptic animated film with a very dark Burtonesque art style and surprisingly sombre storyline”. This sci-fi horror film is set in an alternative version of the 1940s where machines have declared war on humans and a rag doll called ‘9’ awakens after the end of humanity to this new world. Voiced by Elijah Wood, ‘9’ then goes on a treacherous journey and discovers a talisman that could be used to destroy the machines.

Inside Out (2015 animated film) Pixar studios unexpected smash hit film was selected

by Caroline B as her favourite because it was the “first time seeing emotions come to life in such a distilled manner”. The film took over five years to develop and Doctors, Psychologists and Neuroscientists were all consulted to try and ensure the accurate portrayal of the mind. It follows the inner workings of the mind of Riley, an 11 year old girl whose family have relocated and she struggles to adapt to this huge change and is joined by five emotions that shape her memories of this time. The film became Pixar’s second biggest opening weekend film after Toy Story 3.

How To Train Your Dragon (Series of animated films 2010, 2014 and 2019) Lily selected this as her favourite animated film because “it inspired my imagination when I was younger and helped teach me morals”. This series of films, and later a live action version, were based on the book series of the same name. It follows the story of Hiccup, a clumsy Viking boy who becomes a dragons expert and seeks to find harmony between

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REVIEWS Rango (2011)

by Georgie Mann Little Amelie or The Character Of Rain (2025)

by Victoria Vireikyte Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)

by Emma Bye Emma (2020)

by Charlotte Baker

RANGO

RANGO (2011)

BY GEORGIE MANN As someone who is an avid animator watcher, I knew I needed to check out the computeranimated Western comedy: ‘Rango’. And since, it’s been my favorite animated movie, a movie made by the same director of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’: Gore Verbinski.

You may be asking what’s so special about it? Well, I’ll tell you. Not only does it blend the traditional aspects of a classic Western with the protagonist being a hero with short narrative musical scenes, but it also includes humor and more deeper, moral elements which cause you to think.

‘Rango’, a naïve and hopeful chameleon voiced by the infamous Johnny Depp, ends up in an unknown desert town named Dirt where he creates delusional lies in the hope of fitting in with the other town’s folk, such as ‘Beans’ who is a desert iguana rancher (voiced by Isla Fisher.) After he adopts this new, completely different - and fake - persona, the town views him as a brave soul and therefore appoints him as the sheriff of Dirt.

I’m not going to reveal anymore as I really encourage you to watch it yourself to find out the spectacular ending, you won’t regret it.

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The unique animation style of ‘Rango’ is beautiful as it includes detailed 2D rendering which is different to the typical 3D effect. The landscapes are breathtaking due to the warm color tone they use throughout with a visually rich desert environment. This movie, inspired by ‘the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’, emphasizes grotesque and quite realistic character designs which creates a more satire look to make them more memorable and fitting to the scenes, creating both good and bad characters to look like this.

So, after everything I’ve told you, you may be asking why it’s so unknown and not really spoken about? The movie didn’t take off as hoped in 2011 and this is because it was made specifically with the audience of children in mind, but during this time, children would rather watch movies with more appealing character designs and easier to understand animations and plots (such as ‘Winnie the Pooh’ or ‘The Muppets’.) So, it attained more of an adult audience rather than their targeted viewers. However, it still notably received the ‘Academy Award for Best Animated Feature’ at the 84th Oscars and, as well as this, received nominations for other awards, including a nomination for the ‘Golden Globe’. The main aspect praised for this movie is Johnny Depp’s vocal performance as the main

RANGO

character ‘Rango’ as its clever homage to Westerns (as, towards the end, actor Timothy Olyphant plays the ‘Spirit of the West’, who is heavily influenced by Clint Eastwood, and you’re not even able to tell it isn’t the classic Western actor Clint Eastwood as he captures the essence of this iconic character amazingly.)

Considering themes of this best animated feature, the main idea is identity, and it’s emphasized throughout the movie. As ‘Rango’ questions himself; who he is, and finally facing his fears, receiving the courage to go and become the hero he’s always wanted to be, this gives the movie a central and deep plot alongside the main plot of his adventure. His sense of heroism and responsibility is largely signified as his character develops through his bildungsroman.

Now, why are you still reading this? Go and watch this classic cinema, visually inventive, humor-filled, emotional, animated Western!

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LITTLE AMELIE

LITTLE AMELIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN (2025)

BY VICTORIA VIREIKYTE "My name fit me perfectly. Like the rain, I was both precious and perilous; benign and deadly; silent and tempestuous. But above all, I felt invincible. I was the rain."

In October 2025, I was thrilled to attend the 44th edition of the Cambridge Film Festival, tucked right into the heart of the bustling city centre of one of the most historic cities in the country. The festival - first founded in 1977, making it the third-longest running film festival in the UK - stretched over a seven day period this year, and offered a vast variety of films to indulge in. From beautifully raw dramas, to inspiring documentaries, the festival offered unique slices of cinema for everyone. Therefore, my main focus here will be discussing my most favourite film that I managed to watch during the festival’s seven-day run - “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”.

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This heart-warming French animated feature engulfed with soft, pastel hues which seem to seep through the screen and tenderly embrace you tells the story of Amélie, a little Belgian girl living in Japan, who finds the world a beautiful yet complicated place, all while discovering the nature and mystery that surrounds her and her loved ones. This film orbits around the curiosity of children, which spotlights Amélie’s wise yet inexperienced character and pushes her to ask the most challenging questions of her time. I especially adored this film not only because of its sweet visual warmth and beguiling soundtrack, but also because of the genuine deep messages in the film - to love and treasure those around you, to never stop searching for what makes you happy, and that it’s okay to make mistakes, because that is what makes us human messages that you don’t always find in family animated films. A real story that inspires you to live the best version of yourself. In all, “Little Amélie” absolutely floored me, and it’s such a pure gem to have been introduced into the world of cinema!

SPIDER-MAN

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018)

BY EMMA BYE

In Brooklyn, New York City, Miles is faced with the expectation that he will protect the city, after being bitten by a radioactive spider. Despite initial struggles, Miles is supported by unexpected guests from alternate dimensions who encourage him to adapt to this difficult lifestyle. Although the protagonist is shocked, he understands his new responsibility and begins his journey towards accepting his alternate identity. The storyline emphasizes the message that human connection is vital to self-growth, since

friendship allows Miles to embrace this new role of Spider-Man. Being one of ten Spider-Man films, ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ is a unique addition which stands out for its captivating storyline as well as its nostalgic animation choices.

In 1962, writer Stan Lee first introduced Spider-Man to the world through Marvel Comics, since then, the story of Spider-Man has evolved to realistic action films receiving numerous awards. However, the directors of ‘Into the Spider Verse’ wanted to remind the audience of the story’s origins, using comic-book style animation to make the audience feel as though the comic-book was brought to life. As the film progresses, more distinct comic-book features are integrated into the story. For example, panel layouts and the combination of text and imagery elements, reinforce the comicbook aesthetic and engage audiences. Additionally, vibrant colours imitate comic books and give depth to the energetic film. This aspect of the film makes it extraordinary. The story of Spider-Man having to adjust to this new identity is a common plot in the Spider-Verse saga, however the animation techniques of ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ felt nostalgic and brought life to the original comic-books which initially introduced us to this iconic superhero.

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) is a remarkable addition to the Spider-Verse saga, commonly praised for its unique directorial choices.

We follow teenager Miles Morales as he embarks on fulfilling the role of Spider-Man alongside SpiderPeople from alternate dimensions. The action film emphasizes the importance of self-confidence, using Miles’ success in overcoming struggles to inspire audiences to believe in themselves. ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ is an animation film that stands out to me as directors Peter Ramsy, Bob Perischetti and Rodney Rothman use comic-book inspired visuals to remind the reader of the story’s origins.

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EMMA

EMMA (2020)

BY CHARLOTTE BAKER Every time summer rolls around, I find myself rewatching Emma (2020), like ice cream melting in the sun or the sticky smell of sunscreen on sweaty skin. For me it is an inevitable summer ritual.

The film, directed by Autumn De Wilde, is an authentic translation of the 1815 novel by Jane Austen. Emma is a novel not new adaptations, the 1995 cult classic clueless is famously inspired by the book a story about a young entitled girl who deems herself a matchmaker, a story driven by female friendship and family. While this classic stands as the foundations for many films it lacked a true faithful adaptation until now. When I first watched this film I expected it to join the dusty shelf of forgettable and uninspired reworked films of classic novels however this surprised me a sprawling and delicate film it managed to captivate me. The dedicated performances, indulgent cinematography and decadent costumes quickly made this film one of my all time favourites and annual summer rewatches.

The story follows the entitled witty main character Emma, the films namesake, who is reeling from her governess’s new marriage and finds herself growing close to a schoolgirl, Harriet Smith. Dedicated to finding Harriet a quality marriage-match, Emma dives into meddling with the men of her town, discouraging Harriet from certain unworthy matches and encouraging ones of higher pedigree.

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The film relies on Harriet and Emma's friendship as a main strength throughout the film; it is a testament to women's dedication to one another. Alongside this we see the development of Emma and Mr Knightly's relationship, played by Anya Taylor Joy and Johnny Flynn respectively. Their romance blooms and is threaded through every interaction, tension and resentment is leaking from the pores of this film and it's addictive to watch.

Emma's hubris drives the film and Anya Taylor Joy’s portrayal of the character is youthful; she brings jealousy and insecurity to the character. The immaturity of Emma is palpable throughout and I find it to be very relatable. Her character exists in the 1800’s yet her personality is familiar. Anya Taylor Joy captures Emma's nature in a sympathetic way. A character often revered for being mean and unlikeable is now a painting of an understandable flawed girl.

Whenever I find myself longing to be lost in a film it’s an easy solution to watch this movie. I find myself enveloped by the dynamic performances. I lose myself in pompous settings and gluttenous costumes. Most importantly however I keep coming back to watch a flawed character find intoxicating love.

ALTERNATIVE MEDIA Wes Anderson: Film to Animation

by Sam Young Krtek: An Adorably Cute Mole That Became Czechia’s National Icon

by Victoria Vireikyte Catherine O’Hara: A Tribute

by Shannon Johnston Howes Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends Exhibition

by Sam Young

WES ANDERSON

WES ANDERSON: FILM TO ANIMATION

BY SAM YOUNG Wes Anderson currently has an exhibition at The Design Museum London running till 16 August 2026.

The exhibition shows props, costumes and sets from his 32 year career including Oscar winning costumes and production design from his The Grand Budapest hotel. The exhibition is really worth a visit to see the production process of films and see some great costumes and props.

So how does this relate to an Animation issue of The Long Lens? Well, Wes Anderson is one of a handful of directors who have directed Animation and Live action films. Some directors that have done both are, Brad Bird with The Incredibles and Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, Tim Burton with Corpse Bride and Edward Scissor Hands and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller with The Lego Movie and Project Hail Mary. Anderson had made 6 live action films before making his first animated feature with Fantastic Mr Fox. Anderson had previously used stop motion in his 2004 film The Life Aquatic of Steve Zisso. Creating several exotic sea creatures for Team Zisso to find, these creatures were animated with the help from Henry Selic, director of Coraline and Nightmare Before Christmas. Anderson wanted to have Selic direct Fantastic Mr Fox but Selic was busy making and directing Coraline at this time.

In the book the making of Fantastic Mr fox Anderson states his love for stop motion puppets with fur and how you can see how it is made, Fur is usually avoided in stop motion as it creates this effect called boling which is where you can see the a imprint in the fur from where an animator has handled the puppet.

Animators even tried to talk Anderson out of using fur

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but he insisted. This boling technique works really well in Anderson’s second stop motion film Isle of Dogs where it adds to the effect of the fur blowing in the wind. Anderson's use of fur even influenced Aardman (the studio behind Wallace and Gromit) to integrate and use fur for their puppets and costumes.

WES ANDERSON Anderson also recorded the dialogue outside with a boom pole, giving the dialogue a more authentic feel and allowing the actors to interact with each other when usually they are separated in booths and not recording at the same time. In a 2025 Variety interview Anderson talks about his time on Fantastic Mr Fox stating how he created his own kind of system.

“I think the group was surprised at how little I was there, but how much I wanted to guide it. It’s one thing to not be there and to just check in and say ‘good’ and ‘here’s a few suggestions,’ but it’s another thing to control it all from your e-mail,” Anderson said. “It wasn’t my plan. It was just what evolved, and I think it took time for people to trust me.” Likewise, Anderson explained, “I think my ideas about the lighting were anti-stop-motion, which I didn’t know.” He wanted a softer, flatter light that cinematographer Tristan Oliver (Chicken Run) found less than ideal for miniatures. “I think he felt like, ‘You’re asking me to light worse than I can do.’”

The production used around 4 different versions of the puppets standing at 30,12,6 & 3 cm, which allowed them to blend scenes together and make characters look further away than theta actually were. These puppets were also used to show the size difference in the human characters from the animals. From working with miniatures on fantastic mr fox he used these effects in his next film The Grand Budapest Hotel where he used lots of miniatures of the buildings exterior shots to trick the audience.

Make sure to book tickets online and visit the exhibition while you still can before it finishes on

After Fantastic Mr Fox, Anderson went back to live action, but carried over a few of the tricks he’d learned in stop motion. “In a way, the stuff from animation was just a new set of ingredients to add into the mix,” said Anderson, who adopted the process of using animatics/animated storyboards to plan out shots on every film since, starting with “Moonrise Kingdom” (2012). August 16th.

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WES ANDERSON

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KRTEK

KRTEK: AN ADORABLY CUTE MOLE THAT BECAME CZECHIA’S NATIONAL ICON

BY VICTORIA VIREIKYTE As a treat to celebrate my 19th birthday, I decided to visit Prague, the capital city of Czechia, or the Czech Republic. A city packed to the brim of rich historical sites like Franz Kafka’s house, Old Town, Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, and oddly enough … a cute animated mole?

That’s right; wherever you go around the city centre of Prague, you will find this goofy yet cute cartoon mole character in souvenir shops. But what exactly is his story? And why do many tourists often confuse him for a penguin?

Firstly, the penguin part - I’m honestly not sure of. I immediately clocked it was a mole or even a rodent of some-kind, but mistaking this mole for a flight-less, fish-loving bird that dwells in the snowy depths of Antarctica is beyond me.

Krtek is the name of the adorable mole character, literally meaning “mole” in the Czech language, or Krteček as he’s sometimes called which refers to the more commonly used international name for the character as Little Mole. Krtek’s character originally comes from the cartoon series “The Little Mole” created by Czech animator and cartoonist legend Zdeněk Miler. Miler chose a mole to be his leading protagonist of his cartoon series when he picked up one of the critters after stumbling over a molehill on his stroll.

Lighthearted yet soulfully moving, there is a quiet poignancy felt in this show, which displays the purest and most honest lessons and interactions. What makes “The Little Mole” different from most 50s shows is that it contains no dialogue - just background music - so that every child across the world could understand the story, and ultimately keeping it simple and easy to follow. Milner’s own daughters as toddlers would act as ‘voice actors’ for Krtek (saying quick exclamations of joy, giggling, shrieks and gasps), to translate his feelings, expressions and mood. It first premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 1957, and incredibly won two Golden Lion awards. Krtek even became the first animated character in history to be sent into space, which occurred during the 2011 Space Shuttle Endeavour. Approximately 50 original episodes were created, not counting the modern rendition of the show in recent years.

The show, which lasted from 1957 all the way to 2002, follows Krtek and his woodland anthropomorphic animal buddies Rabbit, Mouse, Hedgehog and Frog, as they go on adventures of fun, learning, and friendship.

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KRTEK Before my trip this June, I had only briefly seen Krtek in a handful of images - but little did I know what huge of a fan I was about to become.

During my trip, I absolutely fell in love with Krtek - his warm cuteness and his funny, simple design and innocent outward appearance brought an instant smile to my face. I too personally identify with Krtek’s never ending curiosity, thirst for travelling and adventure, caring for the environment around him, and of course hanging out with his friends. His show is just so fun to watch, the storylines are so pure-hearted and entertaining, proving that no matter your age, you can still find the room in your heart to love animated cartoons. I now own several pieces of Krtek merch - a plush toy, bracelet, pillow, calendar, keychains, button badges, and more. My fellow Eastern European friends have also told me they actually used to watch “The Little Mole” when they were younger in their home countries, which I think just makes Krtek even more of a brilliant legend for highlighting their childhoods.

But why is this mole so famous? Krtek rose to global stardom and legend status not only because the cartoon he starred in was an international, timeless hit among children; but also because he marked a new symbol for Eastern European animation and cinema, and introduced Czechia and its cinematic culture to the rest of the world. The 1960s Czechoslovak New Wave, Barrandov Studios, famous directors like Academy Award winning Miloš Forman, the infamous

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Prague Film School, and yes, Krtek himself, have raised the country to a pedestal of world-wide success and fame. So it makes perfect sense why the little mole is so widely loved and celebrated in Prague and across Czechia.

I have strong ambitions to return back to the beautifully gothic city of Prague to explore it and the rest of the country further this autumn, and I will be certainly taking my trusty Krtek plush with me as a friend!

CATHERINE O’HARA

CATHERINE O’HARA: A TRIBUTE

BY SHANNON JOHNSTON HOWES In January, the world of film and TV lost the incredible woman and talent that was Catherine O’Hara, when she sadly passed away from complications related to cancer at the age of 71.

She had a long and successful career spanning 50 years, and many of you may know her roles as Moira Rose in Schitt’s Creek, Kate McCallister in Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), or Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice (1988). Longtime friend and on-screen husband Eugene Levy wrote in a tribute on Instagram, ‘I cherished our working relationship, but most of all our friendship’, while mutli-time collaborator Tim Burton said she was ‘a special part of my life and after life.’

Like many actors, Catherine O’Hara started her career in children’s TV, landing the main role of Marna in the Canadian children’s sitcom Coming Up Rosie at the age of 21. From here she started transitioning into the sketch comedy series Second City Television, where she first worked with Eugene Levy (Johnny Rose in Schitt’s Creek) her work earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. During her time on the show, she picked up a few film roles, including her first film voice acting credit as Aunt Edith in the 1983 adult animated musical Rock & Rule (also known as Ring of Power).

What you might not know about her career is that, while Catherine O’Hara has 100+ acting credits to her name, almost a quarter of her roles were for voice acting, mostly for animated productions.

Before this, she’d had a handful of voice acting credits for TV specials, but being credited on a film alongside the vocal talents of Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry is definitely a moment to highlight for someone who was, at the time, only 29 years old and 8 years into her entertainment career.

In 1988 she would work on her first Tim Burton project as Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice, the eccentric artist who finds herself fighting against supernatural forces - and her daughter Lydia - when they move into an unexpectedly haunted house. This was of course a live action project but it would be the start of multiple collaborations with Burton.

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CATHERINE O‘HARA The next time O’Hara found herself on a Tim Burton project was when she voiced the captive ragdoll Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas in 1993. Unlike Jack Skellington, who had separate voice actors for spoken and sung lines, O’Hara voiced Sally entirely, lending her voice to the solo song ‘Sally’s Song’ as well as lines in ‘Kidnap The Sandy Claws’ and ‘Finale/Reprise’. In 2018, she said in an interview with Live for Films, “Recording Sally's Song was intimidating — that song is beautiful and difficult to sing.”

A second character was also voiced by O’Hara for the film; Shock, the little witchy ‘trick r treater’ who, along with her accomplices Lock and Barrel, kidnap Santa Clause to help Jack take over the holiday before betraying him. She would also voice Sally twice more in the 2024 video games Disney Speedstorm and Disney Dreamlight Valley.

Over the next nearly two decades, between Nightmare and her next collaboration with Burton, Catherine O’Hara would work on 30 films, 10 of which were voice acting roles. These included Mrs Prysselius in Pippi Longstocking (1997), Tina in Chicken Little (2006), Penny in Over The Hedge (2006), Mrs Walters in Monster House (2006), and Judith in Where The Wild Things Are (2009). It seems that after starting her entertainment career in children’s TV, working on media for kids remained a constant in her life.

Eventually in 2012, O’Hara would voice not just one, but three characters in Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie; the gym teacher, Weird Girl, and Susan Frankenstein, the mother of the protagonist.

Catherine O’Hara seemed to collect mother roles throughout her career, and grandmother roles in her later years, as many women in Hollywood tend to. She would lend her vocal talents to Grandma Frump in 2010's The Addams Family, Wade’s mother Brook in Elemental (2023) and the Possum mother-of-seven Pinktail in The Wild Robot (2023), her final living film credit.

Whether you knew it or not, Catherine O’Hara was in one way or another woven into the media of your childhood, and that of the adults around us, and probably had some lasting influence on us through these characters - personally, her reprisal of Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is one of my favourite roles that I’ve seen her play; undeniably the same character as the first film, who’s only gotten kookier and more eccentric with age.

Ultimately, with such an epic career including 123 acting credits to her name, when asked in 2014 what role she would most like to be remembered for ‘when all is said and done,’ she replied simply, “The mother of my children.”

Rest in peace, Catherine O’Hara, the surprise voice of our childhoods whose talent will linger on and be appreciated by millions for many years to come.

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INSIDE AARDMAN

INSIDE AARDMAN: WALLACE & GROMIT AND FRIENDS EXHIBITION

BY SAM YOUNG The 4 time Oscar winning Bristol animation studio Aardman currently has an exhibition at The Young V&A in London, showcasing the work Aardman has done over its 50 years. The exhibition is titled Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends and is running till the 15th November 2026. As the title says the exhibition shows sets and props from Wallace & Gromit, other characters and films Aardman have created.

Alongside the sets, props and characters there are several areas with information about film making techniques like 3 point lighting, animation walk cycles and foley. In these areas there are opportunities to have a go yourself at creating foley sounds, doing some stop motion animation and playing around with 3 point lighting. Although these activities are great they are tailored more to a younger audience. That being said, it's still worth a visit to see all the great things the exhibition has to offer. Make sure to book tickets online and visit the exhibition while you still can before it finishes on the 15th November.

The exhibition gives you an up close look at the animation process at Aardman, from concept art to storyboards, sets, props and famous characters that we've seen on our screens. The exhibition has several sets from 2024’s Wallace & Gromit Vengeance Most Fowl including Feathers Mcgraw Himself! Alongside this there is a set from Chicken Run Dawn of The Nugget a massive room size pirate ship from Pirates with and Adventure with Scientists, some characters from Nick Parks 1991 Animated Short Film Oscar win Creature Comforts, and of course lots of Wallace and Gromit stuff including the Were Rabbit, the rocket ship from A Grand Day Out and the famous jewel heist from the Wrong Trousers. It does a really good job at showcasing Aardman's 50 year history.

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INSIDE AARDMAN

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NEXT ISSUE: ‘SEQUELS, PREQUELS, REQUELS & REBOOTS’ We are recruiting!

If you’d like to join the Long Lens team and contribute articles around the theme of ‘Sequels, Prequels, Requels and Reboots’, or any film or media review, keep an eye out for announcements for Issue 15!

There will be an Editorial Meeting for those interested on Wed 16th Sept at 14.40 in G116

EMAIL thelonglens@longroad.ac.uk thelonglens@longroad.ac.uk for more information